Hosts of the Tennis Pulse talk show discussed the latest developments at Indian Wells, which included one particular moment of Alexander Zverev’s outburst against his dad/coach, Zverev Sr. They drew a comparison between Zverev’s angry rant towards his father and how Ben Shelton treats his dad/coach, Bryan Shelton.
The hosts began the discussion by voicing their take on Zverev’s short outburst. “I could never take it out. Our dad taught us how to play tennis… Even as grown adults, I swear to God, if we talked the way Sascha does to his dad, he would be like, game over. Referee, take her off the court,” said one analyst.
“Of course, you have to know the player and some things you cannot take seriously while a match, but if it’s crossing some lines, you know you have to set boundaries as a coach before, and what a player can do and what he cannot. Me as a coach, if my player is treating me like that, I would stand up in the middle of the match and leave,” said the other analyst.
Next, the analysts drew a comparison of the situation with the relationship between Shelton and his father. “Well, I’ll tell you Ben Sheldon ain’t yelling at his dad. No, he’s not. I’m gonna tell you right now, Ben knows better,” the analyst said.
“Ben is not yelling at his father. That’s a black dad. Black dads are different. I say black dads, and he’s like, ” You take your butt off that court, man. I don’t care if it’s the Wimbledon final. You ain’t embarrassing me on this court,” she added.
After Heartbreaking Loss at Indian Wells, Ben Shelton Pulls Out of Monte Carlo Masters
Shelton struggled against fellow American Learner Tien in their R3 match at the BNP Paribas Open, ultimately going down in three sets. While the reigning Dallas Open champion suffered a disappointing exit at Indian Wells, he will now aim to shift focus to the Miami Open (Masters 1000), which starts on March 16.
After the conclusion of the Sunshine Swing, the players will head into the clay-court swing, with one of the biggest being the Monte Carlo Masters, which will commence in April.
While all the top names are set to feature at the prestigious tournament, Shelton, alongside five other top-ranked American pros, has not entered in the main draw. The prime reason for this decision is the ATP 250 tournament in Houston, sandwiched between Monte Carlo and Miami.
The event starts on March 30 and is the only clay-court event on US soil, thereby attracting a lot of homegrown talent. The logistics of playing at both Houston and Monte Carlo would be unfavorable for most of these players, as the approximate distance between the two is 5,400 miles (8,700 kilometres).
For now, the players have sidelined themselves from the Monte Carlo Masters, but only time will tell if they actually stick to the plan or change it in the coming weeks.
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